Warming device for heating a cartridge containing a viscous fluid

Abstract

A warming device that employs a sheet and a pocket that is coupled to the sheet and configured to hold an exothermic heat pack. The sheet is formed of an insulating material that reflects radiant heat. The pocket is formed of a thermally conductive air permeable material. The warming device is configured to transmit heat into a cartridge containing a viscous liquid to heat the viscous liquid to a desired temperature and/or maintain the viscous liquid at the desired temperature even while working in an environment with a relatively low ambient temperature.

1 . An article comprising:
 outer shell comprising a sheet that is at least partly formed of a material that reflects radiated heat, the outer shell having a first opening on a first side, the outer shell being adapted to receive therein a cartridge that holds a viscous liquid; and   a pocket coupled to an interior side of the outer shell, the pocket being woven from a thermally conductive material, the pouch being adapted to hold an exothermic heat pack, the thermally conductive material being woven with a mesh that is configured to permit air to flow though the woven thermally conductive material to sustain an exothermic reaction in the exothermic heat pack.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the material that forms the outer shell includes a metallic reflecting agent. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the metallic reflecting agent has a gold or silver color. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 3 , wherein the metallic reflecting agent is at least partly formed of aluminum. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive material is selected from a group consisting of metals, carbon, plastics and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive material is a thermally conductive carbon cloth. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell further comprises a closure means for securing the sheet in a rolled condition that is adapted to receive the cartridge therein. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 7 , wherein the closure means cooperates with the sheet to form a nozzle space that is adapted to receive a nozzle associated with the cartridge. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet defines a pair of mating closure tabs and wherein the closure tabs are secured together so as to define a nozzle space that is adapted to receive therethrough a nozzle associated with the cartridge. 
     
     
         10 . A method for dispensing a viscous liquid, the method comprising:
 providing a cartridge containing the viscous liquid;   inserting an exothermic heat pack in a pocket formed of a thermally conductive material;   abutting the pocket against the cartridge; and   wrapping a radiant heat reflecting material about the pocket and the cartridge.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein wrapping the radiant heat reflecting material about the pocket and the cartridge includes releasably securing the radiant heat reflecting material to itself. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 dispensing the viscous liquid from the cartridge while the radiant heat reflecting material is wrapped about the pocket and the cartridge; and   unwrapping the radiant heat reflecting material from the cartridge after the viscous liquid has been dispensed from the cartridge.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising activating the exothermic heat pack. 
     
     
         14 . A combination comprising:
 a warming device comprising a sheet, a closure means and a pocket, the sheet being formed of an insulating material that reflects radiated heat, the closure means being coupled to the sheet and including first and second portions that releasably engage one another to shape the sheet into a structure with a generally tubular shape, the pocket being coupled to the sheet on a side that positions the pocket within the generally tubular shape when the first and second portions of the closure means releasably engage one another, the pocket being formed of an air permeable thermally conductive material;   an exothermic heat pack received in the pocket; and   a cartridge containing a liquid, the cartridge being received in the generally tubular shape defined by the sheet and abutted against the pocket.   
     
     
         15 . The combination of  claim 14 , wherein the material that forms the sheet includes a metallic reflecting agent. 
     
     
         16 . The combination of  claim 15 , wherein the metallic reflecting agent has a gold or silver color. 
     
     
         17 . The combination of  claim 16 , wherein the metallic reflecting agent is at least partly formed of aluminum. 
     
     
         18 . The combination of  claim 14 , wherein the thermally conductive material is selected from a group consisting of metals, carbon, plastics and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The combination of  claim 18 , wherein the air permeable thermally conductive material is a thermally conductive carbon cloth. 
     
     
         20 . The combination of  claim 1 , wherein a nozzle is coupled tot he cartridge and wherein the sheet defines a pair of mating closure tabs and wherein the closure tabs are secured together so as to define a nozzle space through which the nozzle is received.